Transforming Freight in Detroit’s Eastern Market
In the heart of the “Motor City,” Detroit is leveraging its rich automotive heritage to pioneer innovative sustainable mobility solutions. As part of the $9-million Sustainable Cities Challenge, the city has launched an initiative focused on transforming freight operations in its historic Eastern Market district.
Eastern Market, one of the oldest and largest urban food production and distribution centers in the United States, serves as the city’s vital hub for food processing, packaging and distribution. This bustling marketplace sells over $360 million in wholesale food annually, with exports nearly doubling that figure. It is a cornerstone of Detroit’s food economy, organizing a complex ecosystem of farmers, wholesalers, logistics operators and distributors.
However, as Eastern Market continues to expand, it faces a critical challenge: harmonizing increased food production and distribution with clean freight initiatives. The Detroit Sustainable Cities Challenge calls upon local and international innovators to propose bold solutions that can enhance the efficiency of freight operations while significantly reducing fossil fuel costs and unlocking opportunities for clean freight technologies.
Optimizing Fleet, Cargo and Cold Chain Management
Possible avenues for innovation include optimizing fleet, cargo and cold chain management, and finding alternative energy sources for powering fleets and cold chain logistics. Successful solutions must add value to existing operations, integrate seamlessly without imposing substantial costs or interruptions, and be readily adoptable by Eastern Market’s diverse stakeholders.
“We’re excited and honored to be one of just three cities in the world selected for the Sustainable Cities Challenge,” said Tim Slusser, Chief of the City of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation. “As the only city chosen in the western hemisphere, Detroit represents over one hundred years of world-renowned innovations in transportation. This Challenge is a great opportunity for the City to work closely with Eastern Market Partnership and the State of Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification to pioneer new sustainable solutions in clean freight.”
The initiative, spearheaded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation and designed in collaboration with Challenge Works and the World Resources Institute, aims to bring cities and innovators together to develop sustainable, inclusive, data-driven mobility solutions fit for the future.
Preserving Kashi’s Heritage in Varanasi
Varanasi, India, one of the oldest and continuously-inhabited cities in the world, presents a unique set of urban mobility challenges. Revered as India’s “spiritual capital,” the city draws millions of pilgrims and tourists annually, creating a complex blend of ancient traditions and modern-day realities.
Varanasi’s labyrinth of narrow, winding lanes poses significant challenges in accommodating the massive influx of visitors, leading to growing concerns about safety and accessibility. The confluence of pedestrians and vehicles in tight spaces has created a hazardous environment, particularly for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with disabilities.
“The Varanasi Sustainable Cities Challenge seeks innovative, data-driven solutions to ensure that the crowded areas of Kashi are safer and more accessible for tourists, residents and vulnerable populations,” said Kathy Nothstine, Head of Future Cities at Challenge Works.
These solutions must preserve the character of Kashi, avoid obstructing religious, spiritual and tourist activities, and operate within the constraints of the existing infrastructure. To achieve this, city authorities are leveraging existing camera footage to create new and more effective approaches to crowd-flow management.
Innovative Urban Design Interventions
Potential solutions range from smart crowd monitoring systems to innovative urban design interventions that enhance pedestrian flow while respecting the city’s historic fabric. By harnessing technology and design, the challenge aims to make the crowded areas of Varanasi’s old city (Kashi) safer and more accessible for all.
“This Challenge will bring the city and innovators together. This is an exciting opportunity not just for Varanasi but for cities everywhere,” said Ben Welle, Director of Integrated Transport and Innovation at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.
Encouraging Sustainable Mobility Adoption in Venice
Venice, a renowned Italian port and cultural hub, presents a unique urban landscape that spans its historic island center and mainland areas like Mestre and Marghera. Embracing both land and water for transport, Venice has become a laboratory for multi-modal mobility solutions.
Despite a comprehensive transportation network, including buses, trains, trams, hybrid water buses and micromobility services, Venice faces a critical challenge: underutilization. The city’s diverse low- and zero-carbon transport options have yet to achieve their full potential in terms of public adoption.
“In the Venice City Challenge, the city seeks innovative solutions that shift behavior, encouraging an increased use and adoption of existing sustainable transport modes,” said Kathy Nothstine.
This issue is potentially rooted in the power of habit and familiarity in shaping mobility choices. According to the 2023 Audimob report on Italian mobility, people tend to stick to familiar mobility habits, often missing out on new services and innovations that could offer better, more sustainable alternatives.
Leveraging Behavioral Science and Technology
The Venice Sustainable Cities Challenge calls for innovations that encourage behavior change, focusing on understanding users’ motivations and enhancing the appeal of low-carbon modes. Potential proposals could leverage techniques such as nudging, gamification or altering choice architecture to promote sustainable transport.
There is also an opportunity to build upon existing technologies, like the Venezia Unica card, which allows electronic ticketing across various modes, to further streamline the user experience and make greener and healthier modes more appealing.
“The solutions to this Challenge will help businesses throughout Detroit, but the lessons learned could also be applied to cities across the world,” said Ryan Klem, Director of Programs at the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
Driving Global Sustainable Mobility Transformation
Through the Sustainable Cities Challenge, Detroit, Varanasi and Venice are leading the way in pioneering innovative solutions to address pressing urban mobility issues. By fostering open innovation and collaboration between cities and a global community of problem-solvers, the initiative seeks to develop scalable approaches that can be replicated in cities worldwide.
The insights gained from addressing the unique challenges in these diverse urban environments can offer valuable lessons for other cities facing similar difficulties. By integrating and elevating these innovative interventions, cities around the globe can develop more sustainable, efficient and attractive mobility systems, contributing to the broader goal of smart, sustainable urban living.
To learn more about the Sustainable Cities Challenge and how your organization can get involved, visit https://jointactionforwater.org/.
